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His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, met with a number of UAE students studying at American universities and institutes, along with the two Emirati astronauts who graduated from NASA’s 2021 Astronaut Program, Hazza Al Mansouri and Noura Al Matrooshi, as part of His Highness’s official visit to the United States.
During the meeting, His Highness expressed his happiness at seeing his sons, the young Emiratis, studying or training in various advanced universities and institutions in the world.
During the meeting, which took place at the UAE Embassy in Washington, His Highness inquired about the students’ conditions and the progress of their studies and learned about their specializations, stressing his keenness to provide them with all the facilities that would help them achieve success in their educational path.
His Highness said to the students and astronauts Hazza Al Mansouri and Noura Al Matrooshi: “You and others like you from the youth of the nation are our true wealth, and therefore we always want you to be distinguished and superior because we are betting on quality. Today, we are investing in you and we consider this the best investment for the future.”
In this context, His Highness added that the UAE is going through a new and accelerated phase that requires planning, qualifying and preparing qualitative national cadres capable of assuming responsibility, as they are the pillar on which the progress of their country depends.
His Highness called on his students to persevere and exert their utmost effort in acquiring knowledge, and to focus on specializations that serve the vision of national development, so that they return to the homeland with a wealth of knowledge and experience that will benefit themselves and their country.
His Highness said that the world today is advancing at an unprecedented speed, especially in technology, and whoever possesses technology today, especially artificial intelligence, possesses power and wealth, because the wealth of the future is the wealth of science and knowledge.
His Highness stressed that students, through their studies in the United States, can serve their country by introducing its experience and the story of its renaissance to American society. Therefore, you must be its best ambassadors and embody its values and principles in your behaviors and actions.
His Highness the President of the State called on the students to adhere to their identity and values and at the same time to engage strongly in acquiring modern sciences, in addition to learning about the culture of the society in which they study, its values, customs and traditions, so that they may be a cultural bridge with it.
His Highness said: “We are proud of our sons who have honoured the UAE and the Arabs in the field of space,” adding that the entry of our youth into the field of space confirms their ability to succeed in any field and their determination to acquire modern knowledge, especially in the field of advanced sciences.”
His Highness added that the UAE has ambitions in the field of space that it seeks to achieve, and therefore it is working to build a large base of specialized cadres in this field, pointing out that the role of Emirati astronauts such as Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Neyadi is important in building this base, by transferring their experiences and knowledge to their brothers in the UAE space program.
His Highness wished the students and astronauts success in participating in the comprehensive development process in the UAE.
For their part, the UAE students expressed their happiness at meeting His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and thanked him for his interest in following up on their affairs and the support provided by the state to them, promising His Highness to do their utmost to live up to His Highness’s expectations of them.
Astronauts Hazza Al Mansouri and Noura Al Matrooshi expressed their pride in meeting His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, stressing their continued work and perseverance to raise the name of the UAE in the field of space and repay the nation for its kindness to them.
The meeting was attended by: His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chief of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs; His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Advisor for Special Affairs at the Presidential Court; His Excellency Ali bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the Supreme National Security Council; His Excellency Yousef Mana Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the United States; and a number of senior officials.
